The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for conveying printer status information to a user and, more particularly, to systems and methods for utilizing a moving light source to convey printer status information to a user.
Ease of use is an important quality for printing devices. In the consumer printer and home printing markets it is particularly important for a printer to be xe2x80x9cuser-friendlyxe2x80x9d. In these markets customer satisfaction can be strongly influenced by a printer""s ease of use, or lack thereof.
One aspect of a xe2x80x9cuser-friendlyxe2x80x9d printer is its effectiveness in communicating printer status and configuration information to the user. As printers offer increased functionality and expanded capabilities, it becomes increasingly more challenging to effectively convey printer status and configuration information to a user in a cost-effective manner.
A number of techniques and features are presently utilized to convey printer status information to a user. Many printers include one or more indicator lights on an outer portion or control panel of the printer. For example, the DeskJet(copyright) 970 color inkjet printer, produced by Hewlett-Packard Co. of Palo Alto, Calif., utilizes three LED (light emitting diode) indicators on a control panel. A Print Cartridge Status LED flashes to indicate that one or more print cartridges are low on ink, improperly installed or malfunctioning. A Resume LED flashes to prompt the user to press a resume button to continue printing. A Power LED indicates that the printer is on and flashes when the printer is processing information.
Some printers use software to generate messages to the user relating to printer status that are displayed on the user""s monitor. However, these messages are often hidden under the application window currently in use and frequently go unseen.
Some more expensive printers, such as the Color LaserJet(copyright) 4500 printer produced by Hewlett-Packard Co. of Palo Alto, Calif., include an LCD (liquid crystal display) or other type of display mounted on the printer that generates messages to the user. However, these displays are costly and add manufacturing complexity to the product, making them ill-suited for a low-cost consumer printer.
Furthermore, despite the above-described communication features, for many users the information and feedback they receive from their printer is incomplete and often difficult to understand. A common user complaint is that the procedures for selecting print quality modes, media types and media handling options are confusing. This lack of understanding can lead to improper settings, unsatisfactory results and eventually customer frustration, especially when special print media is used and mistakes are costly. Additionally, printers typically provide little or no status information to the user during the actual printing operation, such as print quality mode, type of media being used, paper handling options selected, etc.
The DeskJet(copyright) 970 color inkjet printer referenced above also includes an optical emitter/sensor that is mounted to the reciprocating printhead carriage. The sensor includes a pair of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps that illuminate a selected region of a media sheet during a calibration operation. The light from the illuminated region is received by a photodetector in the sensor and analyzed to calculate printer adjustments and calibrations. The illumination of the LED""s is carefully controlled during the calibration functions, and is either non-pulsed (continuous) or pulsed (blinking) at defined intervals. Where a pulsed (blinking) LED is utilized, the pulsing frequency of the LED may not be varied outside the calibration parameters during the calibration operation.
What is needed is an improved system and method for communicating printer status and configuration information to a user that addresses the drawbacks of the prior art.
The present invention overcomes or reduces the disadvantages of the prior art by providing systems and methods for conveying printer status information to a user. In one embodiment, a light source is moved and illuminated to convey printer status information to the user and to attract the users attention. One or more light sources may be illuminated continuously or in a blinking fashion during a printing operation to convey status information. Different illumination states correspond to different printer status and configuration information.
In another aspect of the present invention, the light source may be part of an optical sensor. In this manner, the light source may have dual functions: (1) to illuminate the print media during a calibration operation performed by the optical sensor; and (2) to selectively illuminate during a printing operation to convey printer status information to the user.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional features and advantages be included herein within the scope of the present invention.